Garage Door Tune-Up in Boise: Monthly Safety Checks

Safety checks a Boise homeowner can do on a garage door, what a tune-up should include, and tune-up prices Boise companies publish.

An automatic door that doesn't reverse can kill. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says about 73 children aged 2 to 14 have died since March 1982 after being trapped under automatic garage doors in the US, about three a year. It tells owners to test the reversing feature every month, and Chamberlain gives the same advice.

Chamberlain's reversal test: open the door all the way, lay a 2x4 flat on the floor in the middle of the doorway, and close the door. When it touches the board, it must reverse. DASMA adds a sensor test: stand inside the garage, away from the door, and pass an object through the sensor beam while it closes. The door should reverse straight away. If it fails either one, stop using the opener and call for service; the Consumer Product Safety Commission says an opener that fails should be disconnected until it is adjusted, repaired or replaced. Skip both tests if you can already see a damaged spring, cable or bracket.

From inside, with the door shut, DASMA suggests looking over (not handling) the springs, hinges, brackets and fasteners, and checking the door sections for cracks or pieces coming apart. The red release handle should hang no more than 6 feet off the floor, and the wall button should be at least 5 feet up, where small children can't reach it.

DASMA's balance check: with the door shut, pull the release, then lift the door by a safe grip without straining. It should move easily, stay up when fully open, and hold still when stopped 3 to 4 feet off the floor. If it doesn't, stop and have a trained technician look at it. Keep others clear, don't stand under the door, and don't try this if any part looks broken. Afterward, shut the door fully and reconnect the opener.

Boise asks a lot of a door over a year. NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for the Boise airport show about 55 days a year at 90 °F or hotter, about 108 nights at or below freezing, and a typical July afternoon about 31 °F warmer than that day's overnight low. Before booking a tune-up, ask what it includes and what it costs, and ask for a price before any extra work.

Common jobs

• Balance and spring check
• Rollers, hinges and tracks
• Opener force and travel settings
• Sensor and reversal tests
• Bottom seal and weatherstripping

Have this ready when you call

• One-car or two-car door, and roughly how old it is
• The opener brand, if you can read it
• Any noises or problems you have noticed
• Your neighborhood or town

Common questions